BCG and Deloitte leaders feature on Forbes regional businesswomen list

11 February 2020 Consultancy-me.com

BCG’s Leila Hoteit and Cynthia Corby of Deloitte have again been named among the region’s most prominent business women, according to the latest index compiled by Forbes Middle East.

Boston Consulting Group senior partner Leila Hoteit and Deloitte Middle East Audit director of operations and construction practice head Cynthia Corby have been named to Forbes Middle East’s 100 Power Businesswomen 2020 list – following up from the duo’s placement on Forbes’ Middle East’s Most Influential Women list in 2018. Hoteit and Corby have ranked in 52nd and 95th spots respectively on the latest index, which was topped by Raja Easa Al Gurg.

Accounting for around one fifth of the entries, the list was dominated by leaders from the banking & financial services segments, including Saudi pair Rania Nashar (Samba Financial Group CEO) and Sarah al Suhaimi (Tadawul chair and CEO) in 3rd and 4th. In total, 28 sectors were represented on the 2020 list, with the investment and technology sectors combining for another fifth of the appearances. The majority – close to 80 percent – are described as self-made.

Also, among the 22 new entrants was Siemens Oman CEO Claudia Vergueiro Massei in 68th place, having in 2018 been appointed to the role at just 34 years of age. “These Arab women are not only driving economic growth in the region, but they are also representative of the Middle East’s strong female leadership and influence across all areas of life, from e-commerce to financial services,” commented Forbes Middle East Editor-in-Chief Khuloud Al-Omian.

Leila Hoteit and Cynthia Corby on Forbes regional businesswomen list

As a regional breakdown, women of 23 separate nationalities made the list (led by the UAE with close to a quarter), including notable representation from Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Morocco and Jordan – all of which featured seven or greater. With the list now open to expatriates, the UK alongside Saudi Arabia had the next highest number of entries, including Deloitte’s Cynthia Corby (with some South African thrown in), while Hoteit originally hails from Lebanon.

A member of BCG’s Public Sector and People & Organisation practices and global lead for its Education, Employment and Welfare sector, Hoteit first joined the firm in 2014 after close to a decade between Booz & Company (now Strategy&) and Booz Allen Hamilton. An MBA-holder from INSEAD, Hoteit earlier earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from Imperial College London, and has since become a noted expert in education and human-capital-development.

Corby meanwhile has been with Deloitte Middle East based out of Dubai since 2006, with an earlier ten-year stint with the professional services firm in South Africa broken by six years as a partner at Baker Tilly.

Today,  she is the Audit and Assurance Chief Operating Officer for a regional audit team with upwards of 96 partners and 2,300 personnel, as well as heading up Deloitte’s construction industry business. In addition, Corby is the long-standing chair of the ACCA Women in Finance organisation.

“Very honoured to be recognised again this year in the Forbes 2020 Power Businesswomen list, alongside many other senior female leaders who continue to drive change,” Corby stated in a LinkedIn post, which drew a large round of congratulations from across the region “Diversity and Inclusion is a key focus for our firm and many organisations around the world. Collectively, business can continue to play a part to drive a world that is inclusive and where everyone can thrive.”